CINCINNATI - Before riding in the Northside Fourth of July parade on Thursday, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, will make a plea for expanded background checks for gun buyers.

Both Giffords, who was critically wounded in a shooting rampage in 2011, and Kelly are gun owners and say they continue to support gun rights. Giffords fired a gun at a range Monday for the first time since she was shot.

They are spreading their message to seven states in seven days on their Rights and Responsibilities Tour. They are hoping to appeal to moderate Republicans to support gun legislation that was voted down two months ago. Ohio Sen. Rob Portman voted against the bill.

We cant stop every person who is determined to do harm, but common-sense measures can prevent tragedies, Giffords wrote in an editorial in USA Today on Monday. Expanding background checks will help create a uniform standard for all gun purchases and prevent criminals and the dangerously mentally ill from obtaining powerful weapons.

As gun owners, my husband and I understand that the Second Amendment is most at risk when a criminal or deranged person commits a gun crime, Giffords said. These acts only embolden those who oppose gun ownership. Promoting responsible gun laws protects the Second Amendment and reduces lives lost from guns.

The man who shot Giffords and 18 others, Jared Lee Loughner, passed a background check for the gun he used in his slaughter in Tucson, Ariz., in 2011. He killed six and wounded 13.

After the shooting, Giffords retired from Congress to heal and she and Kelly started an organization called Americans for Responsible Solutions .

New polling confirms the popularity of expanded background checks in Ohio, an APR press release said.

"Sen. Portman represents a state that knows both the value of our Second Amendment rights and the everyday tragedies of gun violence, Kelly said in the release. He can support common-sense policies like background checks that are critical to law enforcement and that enhance the rights of gun owners.

In Northside, Giffords and Kelly will speak at an event for media only and then ride in the parade, a spokesperson said. Local supporters will accompany them during the parade.

The Northside parade starts at noon near the intersection of Ashtree Drive and Hamilton Avenue and finishes at Jacob Hoffner Park at the center of Northside.

What?! It says Gabby Giffords shot a gun. I’m sorry she was shot but she has a brain injury and should be banned from being near any sort of weapon. A proper background check would have picked this up. /S

CINCINNATI - Before riding in the Northside Fourth of July parade on Thursday, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, will make a plea for expanded background checks for gun buyers.

snip

They are spreading their message to seven states in seven days on their Rights and Responsibilities Tour. They are hoping to appeal to moderate Republicans to support gun legislation that was voted down two months ago. Ohio Sen. Rob Portman voted against the bill.

snip

In Northside, Giffords and Kelly will speak at an event for media only and then ride in the parade, a spokesperson said. Local supporters will accompany them during the parade.

The Northside parade starts at noon near the intersection of Ashtree Drive and Hamilton Avenue and finishes at Jacob Hoffner Park at the center of Northside.

What a crock. Northside is a dilapidated jumble of bars, greasy spoons, and pot dealers. Their “parade” is a non-event that isn’t even heard of except for this media event. It is best known for theft and welfare payments.

My wife’s family lived there in the fifties when it was a middle class German neighborhood. Nice then but Never a significant Cincy community

And concealed carry and gun rights are huge in Ohio. Portman supporting anti-gun legislation is portman saying he longs to lose his senate seat. It will never happen.

This article is on crack and a media whore production.

17
posted on 07/04/2013 5:24:55 AM PDT
by xzins
(Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True supporters of our troops pray for their victory!)

As gun owners, my husband and I understand that the Second Amendment is most at risk when a criminal or deranged person commits a gun crime, Giffords said. These acts only embolden those who oppose gun ownership. Promoting responsible gun laws protects the Second Amendment and reduces lives lost from guns.

I will state before hand that I realize that this statement is callous and insensitive.

But it is understandable that Gabby with her brain injury wouldnt understand how illogical that statement is.

The one of the very reasons for the Second Amendment is the realization that criminals ignore the law and will possess guns regardless of laws barring their possession. It is illogical to expect that placing legal restrictions on the possession weapon will prevent those with no respect for the law from acquiring weapons.

The only security for the common man is the ability to protect himself. The most effective defense against criminals is a firearm. To deny a person of a effective defense against criminals is to deny him freedom and potentially life. A persons without the ability to defend themselves can not move about freely and their life is in jeopardy from criminals that are free to take it at their will.

19
posted on 07/04/2013 7:24:12 AM PDT
by Pontiac
(The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.)

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